Babes in the Wood
by Krombopulos-Will
Summary: From the BNHA Kink Meme: His pain tolerance is pretty insanely huge, right? I want to see something where Izuku's massive levels of pain tolerance comes up in middle school. Maybe to the horror of some of his classmates or teachers. It doesn't have to be a result of bullying inflicting an injury, but it should definitely be something hospital-worthy and red flag raising.


"Where we're going, you can't follow," said Bakugou. "We're not gonna stay safe. You don't have a Quirk to protect you. Your mommy would cry. Just give up."

"Where is it?" asked Midoriya. He could face anything as long as he had time to think. Bakugou, Midoriya, and three of Bakugou's friends were walking home from school.

"We're going into the woods to see if Bakugou can knock down a whole tree with his Quirk. You wouldn't understand since you're Quirkless," said Tsubasa, flying a few feet off the sidewalk with his Quirk's wings. "It'll be intense and dangerous. You couldn't handle even being nearby."

"I can do it! I'll prove myself to you," said Midoriya. Nobody in the class wanted him to tag along with them, but at least when he hung around Bakugou, he could be near the boy he aspired to be like. Midoriya hovered around the edges of his friend group, always looking for an opportunity to get closer. If he could just prove he had a kind of strength, even without a Quirk, then Bakugou would have to start inviting him on adventures instead of just letting him follow along.

"This way then, Deku," said Bakugou. The five of them broke off the sidewalk onto a dirt trail through tall grass. As usual, they took the long route, avoiding the log Bakugou had fallen off years ago. It was still a sore spot for him, though Midoriya couldn't understand why. Bakugou wasn't hurt by the fall and he got in bigger accidents all the time and shook them off.

"You don't think anybody's following us?" asked Hino, whose Quirk allowed him to extend his fingers.

"Chicken?" asked Bakugou. "Nobody cares about some kids doing shit in the woods."

The grass gave way to a forest with soft dirt underfoot and the smell of decomposing leaves. Bakugou seemed to move through the trees randomly, like he was trying to get them lost. Two of the people there could fly, so Midoriya wasn't too worried, but he still took a mental note of every turn so he could go back later. Maybe he would be the only one who knew the path back. He could be like a hero to the group without needing a Quirk, just his observation skills.

"If it isn't the biggest tree in the forest, it doesn't count," said Etsuji, who could blow up his face to six times its normal size, his chin swelling like a balloon.

"No shit," said Bakugou. "I can't show I'm the best against some dinky sapling. Why don't you head up and see which one it is, Tsubasa?" Bakugou cupped his hands together in a gesture Midoriya knew from experience made them sweat.

Tsubasa flapped the red bat's wings on his back and shot up through the trees. The rest of them continued walking under Bakugou's direction. A few minutes later, Tsubasa landed and told Bakugou where to go.

"Shouldn't let the tree go to waste before we destroy it," said Hino. "Let's climb it first."

"We can race," said Tsubasa.

"With your wings? No fair," said Etsuji.

"I'll climb the tree first," said Bakugou.

Tsubasa gestured to a tree in front of them to show that they had arrived. It didn't look different from the other tall ginkgo trees around them. Its branches spanned upwards and outwards, starting low for easy climbing. Bakugou ran over to it and began working his way up. The others soon followed, except for Tsubasa, who flew at Bakugou's level. Bakugou easily stayed ahead of the rest.

Midoriya put his hands around a branch at the bottom. He wanted to follow the others and get close to Bakugou. The way up looked easy. He muttered to himself about a path between the branches that would bring him up fast without bumping into the other kids. In a minute, the only person above him was Bakugou, climbing up the last tiny branches and swaying at the tip of the tree. Tsubasa hovered near him and pointed down at Midoriya.

"Who said you could climb up here, Deku?" shouted Bakugou.

Midoriya stopped climbing. "Well, everybody else was climbing, so I figured that's what we were all doing."

"You thought you could beat me to the top, didn't you? You always think you're better than me, even though you're a Quirkless weakling. I'm at the top, and you aren't, just like in life." 

"I just wanted to be up near you," said Midoriya. "I wasn't trying to show you up."

"I think he should have to prove his intentions," said Tsubasa.

Bakugou climbed down toward Midoriya. "I agree. I think you should do something to prove you weren't trying to say you're better than me, Deku."

"What do you mean?" asked Midoriya. "What do you want me to do?" 

"Either you jump out of the tree right now," said Bakugou, sitting on a branch across from Midoriya, "or I blast you out." Bakugou squeezed the branch until his knuckles turned white.

Deku started to climb down but Bakugou called for him to stop.

"I said jump," said Bakugou. "Not climb."

Midoriya hesitated for a moment. He knew if he resisted, they might not let him hang out with them anymore. He walked out to the edge of the branch, which leaned from his weight onto the next branch down. With the bending of the branch, it was more of a fall than a jump. He couldn't twist around to a crouch so he landed on all fours, his knees following his feet. His hands scraped against a fallen branch, making the heels of his palms bleed. He knew his knees would be bruised from the impact. Dirt and leaf bits coated his clothes.

Bakugou laughed from above and climbed down. "You did great, Deku. Keep going!" The other kids joined in the laughter.

"What do you mean?" asked Midoriya.

"Go back up there and jump again," said Bakugou.

"Yeah, you want to be friends with us, right?" asked Tsubasa. He pointed at the tree. "Do it again."

Midoriya looked at his cut up hands . He wanted to make an excuse, but he didn't want to seem like a coward or a complainer. When he got up, he wobbled on his aching knees and feet. For the lower branches, he sucked in a small breath every time he grabbed one because of his ripped hands. After half a minute, he got lost in the task and forgot about the pain.

"Stop climbing, now," said a voice behind him. Tsubasa. "Bakugou says you aren't allowed to reach the top."

Midoriya looked down to find himself higher than before. Below him, the other kids called for him to jump. This time, instead of going to the wobbly end of the branch, he jumped outward from the middle. The tips of branches slapped against his face as he fell. He landed on his feet and then fell over backward onto his butt.

"Do it again!" said Bakugou. A big grin lit up his face. Even at his own expense, Midoriya liked making them happy. The other kids smiled too. Etsuji clapped.

"Alright, I can do it," said Midoriya. He once again made his way up the tree. His butt, hands, and knees stung, but they were easy to ignore. He worried a bit about the tree bark getting into the wounds on his hands.

Once again, he jumped out of the tree when he got high enough. He aimed for a bed of ferns in order to soften his fall. In the middle of the ferns, disguised from above but visible when he got close, lay a big stone. He landed just behind it and tripped as he touched the ground, causing his right leg to give off a loud crack.

"Augh!" he said, then fought back any more noise. No reason to be a whiner. Bakugou already thought he was pathetic and weak. Midoriya wouldn't prove him right. He limped out of the ferns and toward the other kids. Because he wore shorts, everybody could see his lower leg that hit the rock. With every footstep, his stomach roiled. His vision whited out from pain when he put weight on his bad leg.

"Holy crap, look at his leg!" said Tsubasa.

"Go do it again!" said Bakugou.

"Are you serious? He can't, his leg's gotta be broken," said Hino.

"Is that right?" asked Bakugou. "Are you too weak to climb the tree again? I knew I shouldn't have let you come along with us. Climb the tree and jump, or give up and go home to your mommy. Just don't bother me again. I'm gonna go places in life with my Quirk and there's only so much time I can devote to the worthless." He looked around when he said "worthless" so Midoriya could tell it encompassed the other kids as well.

Midoriya knew this game of twisting himself to make Bakugou like him. He had played it before and would play it again. The other kids played too, but Midoriya was the only one who always lost. Bakugou wouldn't like him anyway, so why was he limping toward the tree, every step feeling like ten miles of running? No matter what, the desire to prove himself burned within him, muting out the intense pain. He climbed one-legged, sometimes losing his footing and hurting his leg again. Tsubasa followed him up and snickered. Tears and snot streamed down his face from pain and he couldn't fully fight back the yelps.

He tried to jump in a way where he wouldn't land on his bad leg again. Instead, he landed on his hands and then his face. The dirt squashed his nose. His bad leg still hit the ground afterward and he screamed. He squirmed to his feet and tried to wipe some of the dirt and blood from his face onto his shirt. How would he explain even more scratches to his mom? She worried about how he got in trouble with more powerful kids so often. Well, no matter how she felt, he had to have friends. And he had to be strong enough to become a hero.

"Do it again, nerd," said Bakugou. "Unless you can't."

Blood spilled onto Midoriya's lips. He headed for the tree again, pausing every few feet to dry heave.

"When are we gonna knock the tree down?" asked Hino.

"Shut up, this is more fun," said Tsubasa.

"I cad do it," Midoriya said. Blood from his nose dripped into his mouth. He coughed.

"Was that 'can' or 'can't'?" asked Etsuji.

"Cad!" said Midoriya, limping toward the tree. Every part of his body stung as he climbed but heroes didn't quit when life got painful. All Might walked into buildings full of broken glass, sparking wires, and deadly villains all the time and he never stopped smiling. Midoriya plastered a weak smile onto his face while keeping his mouth open enough to breathe. His muscles started to ache with the rest of him.

Another jump, and this time he managed to land on his good leg and then fall over onto his elbows. Some skin came off his elbows but otherwise he didn't feel any different. When he looked at the other kids grinning and egging him on, he stopped to reflect on what he was doing. Was this really going to make anybody like him more? No, it was just another way for them to show how much better they were. But it might at least make them stop thinking of him as weak.

He hesitated at the base of the tree. How many times would he have to climb? Would he have to continue until everybody went home to their parents?

"Go climb the tree and jump!" said Bakugou.

Midoriya climbed again. The pain was strong, but he was good at putting pain to the side and focusing on his task. Quirkless kids got beat up all the time and if he couldn't dust himself off and get back to his life then he would never get anything done. Every part of his body begged him to stop climbing. His arms and good leg trembled from exertion.

When he climbed high enough, the ground made him sick to look at. Or maybe it was all the blood he had swallowed from his smashed nose. A trail of blood, snot, and sweat marked his path up the tree. He didn't consciously jump this time; his arms just stopped holding him up and he fell to the ground.

Midoriya didn't have the energy to twist himself around so he landed on his bad leg. The leg buckled then crunched. A bone sliced through Midoriya's skin. Blood oozed from the opening. Midoriya cried out.

"What the fuck!" said Hino.

"Holy shit," said Tsubasa.

Bakugou stayed silent for a while. Midoriya steeled himself and tried to get up. He failed twice before he managed to lean against a nearby tree. Everything in him hurt and he could taste the acrid tang of vomit climbing up his throat, ready to escape the second he allowed it. His leg took up most of his mind.

"C'mon guys, let's get out of here," said Bakugou. He didn't look at Midoriya.

"You're not gonna knock down the tree with your Quirk?" asked Etsuji.

"I've got better things to do," said Bakugou.

The four of them walked off, leaving Midoriya behind. He wanted to follow them, but he couldn't walk. No way would he crawl after them. Once they were out of sight, though, he had to get home somehow, and crawling looked like the only option. He couldn't exactly call a taxi into the middle of the woods.

When he got onto his hands and his good knee, he felt woozy, but he fought through it and kept going. He was glad he had remembered the way out of the forest, but it was such a long path. Easy to walk, not so easy to drag oneself. The pain felt sharper now that he wasn't covering it up for his friends.

After a few feet, he felt light-headed. He shook it off and noticed his head lay on the ground when he didn't remember falling or setting it there. Every time his broken leg touched a bump in the ground, the same thing would happen.

When he had passed the big tree, he felt light-headed for probably the tenth time. He blinked and when his eyes opened, he was lying on a stretcher.

"What? No, you don't need to do all this for me," he said. He was still in the forest. One of his friends must have called a medical team - which one? He hoped it was Bakugou. Even after all that, Bakugou still cared about him. Did Bakugou save him because he didn't let Bakugou down?

He felt woozy again and the next thing he knew, he was in a hospital. IVs with blood and saline fluid had been stuck into his arm. His broken leg was wrapped in a giant cast and elevated. His hands had gauze wrapped around them. He could also feel gauze around his nose. A feeding tube poked through the gauze and stretched down his nostrils. His thumbs had buttons labelled "nurse" and "morphine" taped to them. He hurt a lot but figured he could get through this without any more painkillers than they already must have given him.

The urge to escape the hospital overtook him. He was glad to have his flying bed. The ceiling didn't really get in the way. He flew the bed all the way to Kyoto and landed it inside a hospital there. Once he landed, he realized he would be in huge trouble. They would look for him over there. His mom, Bakugou, they would know he ran off! The room around him looked a lot like his hospital room back in Musutafu. Same television, same clock. Maybe the TV flew with him. He wanted to stay conscious so he could make sure not to alert the doctors, but he ended up closing his eyes.

When he opened them, Inko knelt next to his bed. "Mom?" he asked. She must have flown over when he was discovered in Kyoto.

"Izuku, what happened? I was so worried about you when you didn't come home! The hospital says you took a nasty fall out of a tree. What were you doing, climbing up so high? You know that's dangerous when you don't have a Quirk!"

"I'm sorry, mom. I guess I just got careless. I wasn't thinking."

"You have to take care of yourself when I'm not around! It breaks my heart to see you like this."

"I know," said Midoriya, and he drifted to sleep again.

The next time he woke up, a doctor stood in his room. Just like Inko, he warned Midoriya to be careful. He said they would keep him in the hospital for another week and he would have to use crutches for a couple months. In the times before minor healing Quirks became common, he might have lost his leg. The doctor said it was a good thing Midoriya's friend called the hospital.

"Which friend called?" asked Midoriya.

"He didn't give a name," said the doctor.

"Am I in trouble for being here in Kyoto?"

"You're in Musutafu."

Midoriya shook his head and lost consciousness again.

Most of the times when he woke up over the next couple of days, the room was either empty or the doctors or his mom were present. Once, though, he caught the door closing around a pair of pants from a uniform from his school. He didn't know, when he woke up next, if it was just a medicine-induced hallucination like the flying bed, or if somebody really did visit him. If they did, he didn't know who it was. Inko told him that sometimes he muttered Bakugou's name when he slept.

The day Midoriya returned to school, the rest of his class was itching to see him. Somebody had spread that he'd fallen from a tree and given gruesome details on his injuries. When Midoriya asked, classmates gave different accounts for the source of the rumors. Some said Bakugou while others named Tsubasa. Midoriya didn't feel up to asking either of them directly.

Bakugou would kick the crutches from under him when the teachers weren't looking, but he still let Midoriya hang out with him and eat lunch with him, and that was what mattered.

* * *

"Did it hurt, eh?" asked Namio, a classmate who could make spikes pop out of his hands. He wasn't the first to ask and wouldn't be the last. The two stood by the school's koi pond after school.

"Yeah," said Midoriya, leaving out the "obviously."

"Why'd you go up there without a Quirk?" 

"I don't know. I guess I thought I could."

"Haha, you obviously couldn't." Namio twisted his face into a condescending look. "There's one thing I heard though. You stood up after you fell, right? How did you do that, eh? Shouldn't you have been unconscious or at least curled up and screaming?"

"I had to. I didn't want to give up."

"Dang, the guys there who called the hospital must have been freaked out."

"Yeah, it was pretty crazy. I gotta get home, though, my mom is expecting me." Midoriya always ducked out of the conversation when the other kids were mentioned. He worried that his account wouldn't match theirs.

He didn't want to get his friends in trouble.


End file.
